Did you know Irrfan Khan, Tabu were first choices to play Ayushmann Khurrana's parents in 'Badhaai Ho'?

The recently released film 'Badhaai Do' starring Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles was a spiritual sequel to the 2018 film 'Badhaai Do'. The latter starred Ayushmann Khurrana who finds himself in a fix after his middle-aged parents get pregnant. Neena Gupta and Gajrao Rao were brilliant in the film as Ayushmann's parents, but they were not the first choices for their respective roles.

Tabu and late Irrfan Khan were considered to portray Ayushmann's parents in the comedy-drama film. Amit Sharma had revealed in a 2018 interview that the duo themselves had said that they would not look convincing for the role and Tabu even suggested Neena's name for the film.

While speaking to PTI, Amit had said, "When we thought of Irrfan and Tabu, we thought that they would be the best husband and wife. But both of them said though they’re relatable and have worked as pairs on screen but if we have a father who isn’t as fit and the mother slightly older, it’ll be more relatable." The director had further added that Neena and Gajraj felt more real and organic, and hence it all clicked at the end. 

'Badhaai Ho' proved to be a major critical and commercial success, and even went on to win two National Film Awards -  'Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment' and 'Best Supporting Actress' for late actor Surekha Sikri, who played Ayushmann's grandmother in the film.

The hugely talented actors Irrfan and Tabu starred opposite each other in three films, 'Maqbool', 'The Namesake', and 'Talvar', and even featured in three films together, 'Haider', 'Ghaath' and 'Life of Pi'. 

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Meanwhile, Amit Sharma is ready with his next outing - 'Maidaan' headlined by Ajay Devgn. Set in the 1950s and 1960s, the sports drama is based on the golden era of Indian football. Ajay Devgn portrays Syed Abdul Rahim, legendary Indian football coach in the film slated to release on June 3, 2022.